BIDDEFORD — The South Portland High softball team is still undefeated. And as far as Coach Drew DiMauro is concerned, the fewer people that know that, the better.

“I think we’re enjoying being a sleeping dog, to tell you the truth,” he said. “Especially being a young group. We’re fine with that.”

It’s getting harder and harder to sleep on the Red Riots, however. South Portland upped its record to 7-0 on Friday afternoon, defeating Biddeford 10-7 after overcoming an early 3-0 deficit.

Before the season, the talk was of Windham, Gorham and Cheverus being the teams to beat. Is it time to put the Red Riots in that mix?

“Definitely. Don’t overlook us,” said shortstop Ella Nickerson, who doubled twice and drove in a pair of runs. “We’re here to play. We want it.”

Even after some sloppy defense helped Biddeford (2-4) grab a quick 3-0 lead, South Portland fought back by leaning on the offensive depth that has produced 89 runs over the first seven games. The Red Riots got two runs in the second on an error and an Olive Manns single, then broke the game open with seven runs in the third. Andrea DiMauro singled, and pinch-runner Lucy Wetzel scored on Chloe Whitten’s single to tie the game. Rachel DiMauro, who was hit by pitch, scored the go-ahead run on an error.

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The runs kept coming. Baylie Littlefield and Manns each hit an RBI single, scoring Whitten and Jillian Edgar. Nickerson followed with a two-run double, then scored on a Phoebe Dodge single.

All the third-inning runs came with two outs.

“They are building their confidence each game,” Drew DiMauro said. “We work on hitting every day, so we know we’ll be able to hit our way back into games a lot of times. … For the most part, we never feel like we’re out of a game offensively.”

Still, the Red Riots needed a pitching stopper. That came in the form of Littlefield, who entered in relief in the fourth inning after Biddeford scored four runs in the third on a double by Lauren Small, a passed ball, an error, and a single by Jaylah Trottier.

Littlefield kept the Tigers off the board the rest of the away, allowing six hits but buckling down to prevent Biddeford from converting on opportunities. She struck out four.

“For me, it’s just about staying relaxed and not feeling any pressure,” Littlefield said. “If someone gets a hit, they get a hit. It’s OK. We’ll get the next one. … I was telling myself that I’ve got to trust my defense; they’re really good and I believe in them a lot.”

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South Portland finished with 17 hits, with Edgar and Andrea DiMauro collecting three apiece.

“We all trust each other a ton,” Nickerson said. “We’re gritty and we have what it takes.”

Biddeford got three hits apiece from Small, Kayla Magnant and Gabby Smith (double), while Trottier and Victoria Barrow each had two. The Tigers were shaky in the field early, but Coach Don Stanhope said he liked seeing his team fight back from the large deficit. Biddeford had the tying run at the plate in the seventh.

“We put ourselves in a couple of situations where we had to be perfect, and we’re just a little young to be perfect,” he said. “But in every situation, the kids were stepping forward, ready to make a big mistake or make a big play. They weren’t shying away from the moment.”


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